Substantial setback for press freedom in Egypt

New York, April 13, 2011--A new requirement by the Egyptian military that local print media obtain
approval for all mentions ofthe
armed forces before publication is the
single worst setback for press freedom in Egypt since the fall of President
Hosni Mubarak in February, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

The director of the Morale Affairs Directorate of the
Egyptian military, Maj. Gen. Ismail Mohamed Othman, sent a letter dated
March 22 to editors of Egyptian publications demanding that they do not
"publish any (topics, news, statements, complaints, advertisements, pictures) pertaining
to the Armed Forces or to commanders of the Armed Forces without first consulting
with the Morale Affairs Directorate and the Directorate of Military
Intelligence and Information Gathering, as they are the authorities specialized
in reviewing such issues, [in an effort to] ensure the security and safety of
the homeland." CPJ has received a photocopy of the letter, and Human Rights
Watch reviewed it and confirmed its authenticity.

Human Rights Watch first reported the existence of
the memo on Monday. Several journalistic blogs have since picked up the story,
in some instances posting a copy of the directive. A CPJ source confirmed the
authenticity of the memo.

CPJ has not been able to find any reporting about
the letter in traditional news media in Egypt, an indication of the new
rule's effectiveness.

"The Egyptian military's letter to local editors amounts to
censorship," said Mohamed Abdel Dayem,
CPJ's Middle East and North Africa program
coordinator. "This letter effectively institutionalizes a military censorship
regime in Egypt,
something that doubtlessly runs counter to the spirit and principles of the
revolution."

The military's letter to local publications comes shortly
before another serious setback for press freedom in Egypt. On Sunday, a military court
in Cairo sentenced
blogger Maikel Nabil Sanad to three years in prison for "insulting the military"
after a flawed trial. Sanad was arrested
March 28 soon after writing an article in
which he criticized the military for not being transparent in its
decision-making.